


The Bratva Returns

by guineamania



Series: 1MW Bingo March 2016 [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Anatoly is sneaky son of a bitch, Bratva, F/M, Kidnapping, Non-Graphic Violence, Torture, Turf War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 13:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6197005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineamania/pseuds/guineamania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In all the Darhk chaos, Felicity had completely forgotten about the Bratva and how Oliver had deserted them. That was until Oliver went missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bratva Returns

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompts: Bruises, Captivity, Kidnapped, Broken Bones

Oliver was gone. No one had seen him since he set off for work the day before and Felicity was starting to panic. He would have called, he wasn’t the best at remembering appointments and often left on Arrow business but he would have called if he wasn’t coming home that night. Lance just laughed at her concerns and Diggle seemed to think there wasn’t a problem here. Thea was the only one that understood. Oliver was reckless and forgetful, however he cared about his family and would never want them to worry. “We’ll find him okay. You can get the satellites searching for his face and I’ll scout out his usual haunts and see if anyone knows where he might have gone,” Thea stated, hugging Felicity softly. It was far too early to panic but Felicity couldn’t stop her mind drifting to the worst case scenarios. She could just see Oliver’s limp body in an alley somewhere after being attacked by the Ghosts; or Oliver strung up in Damien Darhk’s basement ready to be tortured.

 

Felicity was drifting in and out of sleep when her search finally bore fruit. It was a partial match on Oliver’s face in some garage in The Glades. It was from a few hours before Felicity noticed Oliver missing. Felicity called Thea but starting watching the clip. Oliver stood outside in his typical leather jacket and jeans. He wasn’t on high alert at all. It was like he was meeting on old friend not an enemy. A man stepped out of the shadows and embraced Oliver warmly; Oliver was tense in his grip but his muscles loosened as soon as he recognized the man. Felicity couldn’t get a clean shot of his face to be able to run facial recognition, he was clever. They talked for a couple of minutes and Oliver was getting increasingly more agitated but he wasn’t looking to run or fight. He was just angry. The other man tried to comfort Oliver but he recoiled away. That was when the other three men arrived and closed in on Oliver. His body tensed into what Felicity affectionately called Arrow-mode as he tried to fight away. Felicity flinched at the flash of a gun and Oliver collapsed in pain. Two of the men pulled the still struggling Oliver to his feet and Felicity could see her fiancé’s leg leg trailing limply behind him. Thea had arrived and was somehow managing to stay calm as she watched her brother be shot. “Can you zoom in on the henchman to the left of Ollie?” Thea asked, her voice weak and hoarse. Felicity frowned but did as she was asked. It seemed he was injured in the toustle with the arrow and his shirt had been torn open. He had a tattoo, one that matched Oliver’s.

 

It wasn’t Darhk that had taken Oliver, it was the Russian mafia. Felicity remembered that Oliver had cut off ties with the dark brotherhood when he was hunting down Slade and then their leader of the Starling City Branch, Alexei, had been killed. She couldn’t think why people he worked with would shoot him and kidnap him. At least John and Captain Lance believed them now and Oliver was kidnapped as Oliver Queen meaning it was a mayoral candidate missing and all the SCPD’s resources could be utilised. “I’ll go call Anatoly. He knows me and so may tell me what on earth is happening. Even with the Slade disaster, Oliver is still one of his captains,” John stated and stepped away to get some privacy for the call.

“I’ll help my dad comb the crime scene and relay anything he finds back to you guys,” Laurel added, hugging Felicity and Thea quickly before hurrying out. Felicity was trying everything she knew to try and pin point possible locations but she was coming up with nothing.

 

Oliver woke with a cry of pain as he felt his forearm snap like a twig. “Mikhail!” a man shouted from behind Oliver, he tried to move but the pain in his arm stopped him testing the bonds tying him to the chair. “The boss said he was not to be hurt,” he continued with a Russian lilt to an American accent. Oliver couldn’t believe it. He had been called by Anatoly asking for a favour. Out of respect of their friendship, he went along to the meeting only to be told by Anatoly that the Russian had chosen Oliver Queen to be his heir. Now to be honest Oliver would be fine with that, it would be nice to have the Bratva back on his side and maybe he could try and clean up their dealings a little. But he would have to move to Russia and that just wasn’t on the table. Apparently the deal with Ra’s al Ghul was repeating itself because this offer wasn’t a choice. Oliver had broken the faith of the Bratva and that would not go without punishment unless he was pakhan or heir; the other captains were calling for his head on a stick and Anatoly had only been able to hold them off for so long. At least this time they just wanted him to suffer not the whole team, although Oliver knew that they would be looking for him. He really didn’t want to have to run the Bratva out of Starling but that was the only other option. All mafia’s respected territorial claims; all Oliver had to do was stake the claim that Star City was his and fight for it. Sounds easy before you take into account the angry Russians currently holding him captive.

 

“I have something!” John exclaimed as he strode into the Foundry after his meeting with Anatoly. They did have Oliver, no he wasn’t going to tell John where they were keeping him, and he was hurt but alive. However the Russian did give John a hint. Anatoly hoped that Oliver would accept his offer but the Russian knew Oliver’s heart would always be in Star City. So he was going to repay the life deb Oliver had held over him for seven years.

“Turf war!” Felicity exclaimed one John had explained what Anatoly had said.

“He says if we claim and fight for Starling as Arrow territory he can convince his men to leave Starling. In that we should be able to work out their base and break out Oliver,” he continued and the assembled vigilantes had to agree it was their best shot. Even if they broke Oliver out then the Russian’s would keep coming for him until they succeeded, unless Oliver was seen as a crime boss then they would respect his power and allegiances. Their best plan was the start a turf war.

 

The head of the Bratva was playing a dangerous game. He still owed Oliver his life and was trying to repay that debt without crippling his organization. Anatoly thought that keeping Oliver updated might mean he picked up on the plan. They kept him tied up in a cell similar to his in the Foundry so they could keep an eye on the known escape artist. Anatoly had first-hand experience of Oliver wriggling out of tight spaces; that skill had saved his life. It made Anatoly slightly nervous seeing the powerful vigilante sitting calm and still in the cell. Even when he was slowly dying from the torture, Oliver wasn’t this quiet or still. The American was scheming. He just hoped that Oliver was as tactically clever as Anatoly gave him credit for; they had a plan in the works and if Oliver tried anything reckless he would just get himself killed. Anatoly didn’t mind backing out of Starling; he wanted to stay off Damien Darhk’s radar and Oliver was protecting Starling. Maybe Coast City may be a better target; it all seemed pretty calm over there. “Our captive’s friends are irritants. They are cutting off our supply routes and buying out our regular dealers. They need to be taken down, and I know the best way to do it,” Anatoly paced in front of his men with a malicious smile. Everyone turned to face their meditating captive as Oliver inched open one of his eyes.

 

Oliver’s arrow phone chimed on the desk and Felicity cursed under her breath. They didn’t have time for any emergencies now; their priority had to be continuing to cut off the Bratva. But it carried on ringing, drilling that far too happy chime into her mind. After the third attempt, Felicity picked up.

“I’m sorry but …” she began prepared to tell whoever it was that their problems were not as big as hers right now.

“Miss Smoak, I think you will want to listen to me,” the strong Russian accent laughed over the line. Felicity stopped in her tracks, Anatoly. “We have your boyfriend here and you have something we want,” he continued as Felicity urged herself to keep breathing and to try and track the call.

“Fiancé actually but our relationship status is not the point at the moment because I guess it is all the same to you. I mean, I’ll still want to get him back. What I meant to say is, how do I know Oliver is still alive?” Felicity babbled, trying to get her emotions in check. Why did the rest of the team all have to be out when they got the ultimatum they were fighting for?

“Felicity,” Felicity tried to stay calm as Oliver spoke down the line. He didn’t sound good, his voice was hoarse from disuse over the past week he had been the captive of the Russians but the fight was still there.

“Stay put okay we’ll get you out of there I swear,” Felicity exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m proud of you guys okay. Give em hell for me,” Oliver laughed tensely before Felicity could hear the phone moving.

“He is alive. For now. And he will stay that way if you agree to our demands. All of your team will back away leaving our suppliers along and instead you will work for us. You will get Oliver back when you take down Damien Darhk.”

 

“Well thank god your trace worked because there is no way in hell we can take down Darhk without Oliver,” John stated when Felicity replayed back the call to the team. Her babbling and her chat with Ollie had dragged out the call long enough that they had the location that the call came from. Felicity had taken into account that they may have rung from a different location but they wouldn’t want to move Oliver. He was too slippery and resilient. And the location was a shady abandoned apartment complex in the Glades; it sounded like the sort of place a mafia would call home. The team all suited up and Felicity shrugged on the Kevlar vest under her usual blouse and jacket. Oliver had made it a requirement whenever they were doing anything vigilante or mayor related after the shooting. At the time she had argued but now it did seem like a good plan. “I don’t like that you have to go out there,” John muttered.

“I’m staying in the van, their security is too good for me to deal with without being closer and you need a getaway driver,” Felicity stated, there was no way she was staying in the Foundry while Oliver’s fate was in the balance. John picked up his gun and Oliver’s bow. They just hoped the archer was in a good enough state to use it.

 

Felicity stopped the van a couple of streets away from the apartment building they were trying to infiltrate. “So we have no idea where Oliver is being held but the largest concentration of heat signitures is on the third floor. Speedy, you in on the roof and work down; Canary and Spartan you work up,” Felicity stated as John stepped out of the van and the two motorbikes raced past them. They were going for stealth but it was unlikely they would get it. So the next best thing was to have a three point attack and the police as back up. Captain Lance was on his way with what he could scrape together of the Star City Police force. This was their one chance. Oliver wouldn’t survive and they would all be on the Bratva’s hit list if they failed now. They had to take down a significant proportion of the organization to be able to convince them to leave the city. Felicity watched through everyone’s suit cameras trying to warn each of them when a target was approaching. All was going well until John and Thea arrived at the room where Oliver was being held.

 

John stood in the front of the door Felicity had guided him too waiting for Thea to arrive. The police had surrounded the building but were waiting for Felicity’s signal to move in. If the police struck to early then they would bolt with Oliver in tow. Thea pulled up alongside John and nodded to him as she drew her bow. They kicked open the door and started firing on the men who planned to take them by surprise. They managed to take down a few of them before a powerful voice with a strong Russian accent stopped everyone in their tracks. “Stop!” Anatoly shouted and John spun round to face him. Despite being a shorter man, he had Oliver in a headlock; John didn’t doubt that the Russian Mafia boss had enough strength to break Oliver’s neck if he chose to. All the targets lowered their weapons but John and Thea still stood with theirs leveled at Oliver’s captor. The Arrow was not in a good shape. His face was stained with dried blood from a probably quite bad head injury and his neck was mottled with all different shades of bruises. One of his right arm hung limp with the forearm sat at a slightly odd angle. The other arm was gripping onto Anatoly’s as the Russian tightened his hold. Oliver’s eyes were an even more striking shade of blue as they were sunken and one was ringed with a dark shade of purple. John could hear Thea’s small intake of breath at the sight of her brother but he had faith she could do what was needed to be done. They had to find some way of getting Oliver clear without hurting him further; he could barely stand as it was. “You fools are smarter than I gave you credit for but you must know the situation this puts me in,” Anatoly stated calmly. “I really didn’t want to have to kill my captain but I will. Unless you walk back out that door, tell you police friends to back off and kill Darhk like I commanded you to,” Anatoly continued but John was focused on Oliver. He was staring straight at Thea and gave her a little wink. John turned to Thea as the arrow left her bow in slow motion. John’s eyes widened as it soared towards Oliver and Anatoly. This wasn’t the plan, of course the plan had gone out of the window but this was definitely not a good replacement. It was just a normal arrow not an explosive one or a electric one. It raced past Anatoly’s head and embedded on a shelf a few inches above Anatoly’s shoulder. “That was a foolish mistake girl. I can tell that will not explode in my face,” Anatoly smirked but John watched Thea give Oliver a little nod. He would have to have words with these two about planning without including him. As soon as that thought had passed through his mind, Oliver jumped into motion. He hooked his ankle round Anatoly’s pushing them both backwards. Oliver’s arm flicked up and he yanked the arrow out of the shelf. “I’m sorry my friend,” Oliver whispered to Anatoly before plunging the arrow into Anatoly’s leg.

 

The whole room was shocked still at Oliver’s display as the vigilante slowly got to his feet. John felt the urge to run to Oliver’s side at his visible pain but he needed to do this. They needed the Bratva to fear Oliver Queen. It was certainly a sight to see the broken and bleeding man rising from the ashes in front of the Bratva minions that had assumed their only American captain was just a privileged wuss. Anatoly had admitted that a lot of his men only believed Oliver was captain for his wealth. As soon as Oliver was on his feet he stood tall and stepped towards the only Bratva men left standing, if John didn’t know Oliver he would be terrified by the pure fury etched onto the other man’s features. He knew that Oliver was playing up his anger with the adrenaline. He also knew that Oliver would still see Anatoly as a father figure even after this all was over. “Now, I have a message for you to spread back to Moscow. The Bratva will retreat from Star City. This city belongs to the Arrow, Al Sah-him heir to the demon and the defeater of your leader. No Bratva business is permitted in my city and this is your fate if you return,” Oliver snarled and it looked like he had grown ten feet in height as the young Russian boys cowered. “Take your leader and leave. When he awakes tell him this, the life debt has not been paid. I will call on him soon,” Oliver added and once they had picked up Anatoly, they bolted. And Oliver collapsed.

 

Oliver woke up in the hospital with Felicity asleep in her chair and John leaning next to the door. It took a few seconds for him to remember why he was immobilized in a hospital bed but it all came flooding back as a smile returned to John’s face. “Welcome back Sleeping Beauty,” he laughed quietly, not wanted to wake Felicity.

“How long was I out?” Oliver croaked, frowning at the weakness of his voice.

“About a day. The doctors say that you were running on adrenaline for so long it will take a lot of rest for your body to recover. Your avenging demon act probably didn’t help,” John teased as Oliver took in all his many wounds. He would have a couple of new scars after this endeavor.

“It worked though,” Oliver shrugged, wincing as he moved his jostled ribs.

“You’ll be out of action for a while though. That arm is going to take some healing,” John stated as Felicity stirred.

“Hey,” Oliver whispered as Felicity blinked sleepily then a smile lit up her face.

“You’re awake. That’s great I was so worried, not that I thought you weren’t gonna wake up because of course some little turf feud wasn’t going to beat the Arrow,” Felicity babbled until Oliver captured his lips in a soft kiss. They were a strange sight with the brightly dressed blonde in a wheelchair and the ruggedly handsome man bedridden with barely a patch of skin unmarred by bandages or bruises. But that didn’t matter in the slightest.


End file.
